Pep Boys has been in business since 1921, and it was only about two years after the first location opened that the company created its iconic logo – the caricatures of founders Manny, Moe & Jack. Although it’s been updated somewhat through the years, the three smiling faces in the logo have remained a Pep Boys hallmark. Those friendly faces in the logo, in fact, could be viewed as a nod to one of the company’s other signatures – an ongoing focus on customer satisfaction.

When some of the most iconic brands around the world come to you for help, you know you’re doing something special. Since Global Icons was established more than a decade ago as a premier brand-licensing agency, the company’s capabilities in the development and extension of corporate brands and trademarks has helped it grow to include an array of globally known and market-leading clients.

Pittsburgh-based General Nutrition Centers (GNC) has been synonymous with healthy living through healthful products since 1935. Its chain of retail locations extends around the globe, and its reputation for quality products is unexcelled. That is the legacy entrusted to IMG Worldwide Inc., now that it has the rights to extend GNC’s brand equity into product categories not sold in GNC stores. IMG currently licenses sports, nutritional water and protein beverages, health electronics and small appliances with the GNC brand.

At the end of July, the National Football League owners, players, and fans breathed a collective sigh of relief when the NFL and NFLPA finally reached a deal that ensured labor peace for the next decade. For Leo Kane, the NFL’s senior vice president of consumer products, the agreement meant the league could return its focus to meeting fan expectations.

When US Cavalry Store opened its first location 38 years ago, it did so with one goal: to fill a gap. Prior to the store’s opening, military members had two venues to purchase what they needed: government clothing and sales stores and pawnshops. The government stores were often out of stock, and pawnshops provide only secondhand goods.

With brand names like Electrolux, which originated in 1909, or AEG – a global brand that was established in Germany in 1887 – Electrolux Global Brand Licensing has been offering companies brands with centuries of performance since 2007. “To me, the brand name brings trust,” says Matt Young, head of global brand licensing for AB Electrolux. “People are going to buy things that they trust in. When you have a brand name that consumers associate with high quality, trust is the key element that gives you the extra margin.”

For more than 100 years, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has represented the interests of U.S. cattle breeders, producers and feeders. The organization’s goal is to create “a dynamic and profitable beef industry, which concentrates on resources around a unified plan, consistently meets global consumer needs and increases demand,” the NCBA says.

If a $300 million company isn’t willing to invest $350,000 into a license-plate-based inventory tracking system, Jeff Kaiden, founder and CEO of Capacity, LLC, knew the small and mid-sized businesses he and his partners were targeting with their warehouse order fulfillment services wouldn’t be either. So when he and co-founders Thom Campbell, chief strategy officer, and Arlen Fish, chief financial officer, began building the business plan for their company, they knew they needed to develop services with a twist.